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Emerging Formats: Discovering and Collecting

Contemporary British Interactive Fiction

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Dr Lynda Clark

British Library & Nottingham Trent University

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Emerging Formats

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•Ebook Mobile apps

•Structured Data

•Web-based Interactive Narrative

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Emerging Formats

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• Identify

•Collect

•Preserve

•Describe

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Identify

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Interactive Fiction,

a definition: ‘computer programs

that display text,

accept textual

responses and then

display additional text

in reaction [to those

responses]’.

Nick Montfort, Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction, 6th edn (Massachusetts,

USA: MIT Press, 2005), p.vii.

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Identify

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Interactive Narrative,

a definition: ‘a form of digital

interactive

experience in which

users create or

influence a dramatic

storyline through

their actions’.

Mark O. Riedl and Vadim Bulitko, ‘Interactive Narrative: An Intelligent Systems Approach’ in AI

Magazine, (Spring 2013, 67-77), p. 67.

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Identify

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Interactive Narrative as defined by the

British Library:

• Interaction: typing, clicking, navigating

• Narrative: fiction, non-fiction

• Web-based: born-digital, but NOT downloadable

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Identify: Sources

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https://ifdb.tads.org

http://philome.la

https://sub-q.com

https://itch.io

https://www.choiceofgames.com

http://pr-if.org

https://www.springthing.net

https://readingdigitalfiction.com/writing-

competition

https://ifcomp.org

https://intfiction.org/

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Identify: Categories

• Hypertext

• Parser-based

• Multi-modal

• Choice-based

• ????

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Identify: Hypertext

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Interaction: clicking links

Narrative: a writer & their cat

Adam Hay, The Cat Demands, Twine, 2015, https://unusualcadence.itch.io/the-cat-demands

Web-based: Hosted on itch.io

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Identify: Parser-Based

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Interaction: Typing commands

Narrative: troubling dreams

of a corrupt prince

C.E.J. Pacian, Castle of the Red Prince, Inform 7, 2013,

http://iplayif.com/?story=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ifarchive.org%2Fif-archive%2Fgames%2Fzcode%2FCastleOfTheRedPrince.zblorb

Web-based: Hosted on iplayif.com

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Identify: Multi-modal

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Maria Mencia, The Winnipeg (El barco de la esperanza/The boat of hope), Web, 2018, https://winnipeg.mariamencia.com/

Web-based: Hosted on creator’s personal

site

Narrative:

Dramatisation of

historical records

Interaction: clicking moving

text

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Identify: Choice-Based

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Toni Owen-Blue, Double/Cross, ChoiceScript, 2015, https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/double-cross/#utm_medium=web&utm_source=ourgames

Web-based: Hosted on Choice of Games

Narrative: Crime

Interaction: Making choices

BUT: Paywalled

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Identify: ???

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Ethan Fox, Nina Aquila: Legal Eagle, RPG Maker, 2018, https://ethan-fox.itch.io/nale

Web-based: Hosted on itch.io

Interaction: Move Nina to advance story

Narrative: Legal Drama

BUT: Does this count?

BUT: Is this a game rather than

interactive fiction?

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Identify: Avatar-Based

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Interaction: Making choices

Narrative: Legal Drama

Ethan Fox, Nina Aquila: Legal Eagle, RPG Maker, 2018, https://ethan-fox.itch.io/nale

Web-based: Hosted on itch.io

HOWEVER: Creator

identifies the work as

interactive fiction

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Identify: Anomalies

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(Above) Verity Lee, 30 Kilogrammes,

Texture, 2016,

https://verityvirtue.itch.io/30-

kilogrammes

(Below) J.R. Carpenter, Along the Briny

Beach, Javascript, 2012,

http://luckysoap.com/alongthebrinybeach/

(Above) Emma Pooka, Bad Influences,

Html, 2013-2014,

http://badinfluences.org.uk/

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Identification Summary

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• Matching criteria ≠ collectable

• Investigative use may be necessary

• Creators are a valuable additional source of information

• Unusual tool usage should be expected with Emerging

Formats

• Create new/expand old categories & definitions BUT

• Accept that some still might not fit

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( )

Collect

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Collection Tools:

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Collect: Hypertexts

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Adam Hay, The Cat Demands, Twine, 2015, https://unusualcadence.itch.io/the-cat-demands

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Collect: Hypertexts

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Chikodili Emelumadu, Onyinye Iwu & Tory Hoke, The Fixer, HTML, in Sub-Q Magazine, 2015, https://sub-q.com/play-the-fixer/

Missing Image

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Collect: Parser-Based

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C.E.J. Pacian, Castle of the Red Prince, Inform 7, 2013,

http://iplayif.com/?story=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ifarchive.org%2Fif-

archive%2Fgames%2Fzcode%2FCastleOfTheRedPrince.zblorb

Robin Douglas Johnson, Aunts and Butlers, Versificator, 2006,

http://versificator.net/aunts-and-butlers/

Creator’s custom-made engine

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Collect: Choice-Based

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Sammi Narramore, Journey Through Your Final Dream, Ink, 2018,

https://narramoreart.itch.io/finaldream-inkjam18

Isak Grozny, dripping with the waters of sheol, Ink, 2017,

https://ladyisak.itch.io/sheol

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Collect: Multi-modal

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Collect: Avatar-Based

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Ash Green, Changes: A Mysterious

Tale, Bitsy, 2018,

https://ashg.itch.io/changes-a-

mysterious-tale

‘Run’ button

Settings

which affect

capture

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Collect: Contextual Information

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Marina Díez, Aquarium, Bitsy, 2018, https://ninfa.itch.io/aquarium Marina Díez, The Forest: A Fable, Bitsy, 2018, https://ninfa.itch.io/the-forest-a-

fable (comments section)

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Collection Summary 1

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Creation Tool Additional Notes on Content Recommended Capture Tool

Any Works containing significant

video, audio, or visual elements

Webrecorder (any browser)

Any Work which requires a button

press or text entry to start

rather than a click

Webrecorder (any browser)

Twine Most images in Twine works

capture successfully with ACT,

particularly if image URLs are

added. Some may require

Webrecorder if javascript or

dynamic images are used.

ACT in the first instance,

Webrecorder with any browser

to eliminate issues with images,

Webrecorder with Firefox v49

to eliminate issues with

javascript

RPG Maker ACT

Bitsy If the work has an opening page

which can be started by clicking,

ACT will be able to capture

successfully, if not, use

Webrecorder

Click to start: ACT

Arrow keys to start:

Webrecorder

Inform 7 While Webrecorder is generally

recommended for Inform 7, ACT

can work equally well

depending on whether it is click

to start, or space bar to start,

and where and how it has been

uploaded.

Webrecorder (any browser)

Creation Tool Additional Notes on Content Recommended Capture Tool

Emulated BBC Micro (online) Webrecorder (any browser)

Adventuron ACT

Ink/Inklewriter Basic Ink works capture well with

ACT, those which have been

heavily customised may require

Webrecorder

ACT in the first instance,

Webrecorder with any browser to

eliminate issues with styling such

as dynamic or hover text elements.

Texture ACT

ChoiceScript Only compiled works can be

captured fully, although any CS

works can be captured to some

degree with Webrecorder (Firefox

v49)

ACT (compiled)

Webrecorder (uncompiled – errors

likely)

Flash Webrecorder (Firefox v49)

Quest Cannot be captured with either

tool.

Genarrator Cannot be captured with either

tool.

Construct 2 ACT

Unity ACT

Javascript Website Depending on the nature of the

dynamic content, it may be best to

run the site through ACT to ensure

CSS code, images, html index files

etc are captured and follow up

with Webrecorder to see if more of

the ‘feel’ of the site can be

obtained.

ACT & Webrecorder

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Collection Summary 2

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• Webrecorder:

• ☺ Great for video, audio etc

• Time-consuming, manual

• ACT:

• ☺ Large scale, easily scheduled, automated captures

• Limited success with some formats

• Having creators on hand to experiment saves time

• Forward planning of what to collect & which method to collect with

improves efficiency

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Thank you for listening!

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Dr Lynda Clark

British Library & Nottingham Trent University